Southern California -- this just in

Judge allows California high-speed rail to move forward

November 17, 2012 | 8:12
am

A judge denied a request Friday from Central Valley farmers
who sought to halt work on California's ambitious high-speed rail
project, allowing work on the $68-billion project to continue at an
aggressive pace.

Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Timothy
Frawley denied a request for a preliminary injunction, saying that the
agency overseeing the project "acted reasonably and in good faith" in
trying to comply with California environmental law.

Groups
representing Central Valley farmers had hoped to stop the California
High-Speed Rail Authority from all planning and engineering work because
of their claims that the authority did not thoroughly weigh the
potential environmental harms of the project.

Frawley did not rule
on the merits of their case, which is expected to be heard this spring,
but said he was persuaded that the state generally sought to comply
with California's rigorous environmental laws, and that the potential
harm to the state was much greater than the potential harm to farmers
along the route.

The rail authority's chairman, Dan Richard, applauded the decision.

"Both
the voters and the Legislature have spoken on high-speed rail," he said
in a statement. "The judge's decision ensures that we can continue to
move forward with our preparatory work to build the first segment of
high-speed rail in the Central Valley, with a plan to break ground next
summer."

The initial section will be a 65-mile segment running from Merced to Fresno, in the heart of California's agricultural industry.

In
making his ruling Friday, the judge acknowledged that California laws
require an understanding of a project's harm to the environment. Yet he
said he did not feel there was sufficient reason to grant farmers a
preliminary injunction, since actual construction is not slated to begin
until July 2013.

The rail authority argued in court that the
potential harm to the state for halting the massive transportation
project was far greater than the objections of Central Valley farmers
and landowners — up to $3.2 billion in federal funding if the bullet
train does not meet federal deadlines, and $8 million to $10 million in
higher construction costs.